4th October, 2021
Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA) said it would launch a rebranded certificate of completion and fitness for habitation for owners or developers of buildings that have met requirements for building construction.
LABSCA’s General Manager, Gbolahan Oki in a statement said that the certificate would be issued to owners of new buildings that have passed through all stages of building construction and certified by LASBCA building professionals.
Oki noted that existing old buildings that have successfully carried out the Non-Destructive Structural Integrity Test conducted by Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory and deemed stable would be certified.
The General Manager added that the building codes stipulated that every stage of a building construction must be closely monitored by the Agency officials comprising of Builders, Architects, Structural, Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers from laying of the foundation through external works and fittings till the building is complete.
Oki stressed that the certificate is backed up with security barcode and could be verified on the Agency’s website.
He said this would not only add value to the building but could also be used as collateral in obtaining a bank facility.
Oki enjoined any would-be tenant or property buyer to request for the certificate from the landlord or owner of the building before payment of their rents or conclusion of property transaction to ensure the building is indeed safe.
He further called on all building owners/developers in the State to take the necessary steps before commencing their building construction by obtaining all necessary approvals by inviting LASBCA for inspection and finally obtaining the Certificate once the project is completed.
Oki, however, warned that failure to do this would subject the buildings to serious engineering appraisal which would attract penalties from the agency.
He insisted that the Agency’s quality control mechanism and compliance level would translate to a radical, meaningful, and positive attitudinal change of owners/ developers in the building construction industry to have a well planned and orderly environment to achieve the State’s vision of zero tolerance to building collapse.
Oki emphasized that LASBCA, under this dispensation is poised to take the State to a greater height through enhanced broad- based participatory planning and constructive engagement with the citizenry, professional bodies and stakeholders in the building industry.